Self Like Parts In Internal Family Systems (IFS)

What is Internal Family Systems (IFS)?

• IFS therapy stands for Internal Family Systems therapy.

• It's a type of therapy that helps people understand and manage their different feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.

• The idea is that everyone has different parts of themselves, like an angry part or a sad part, and these parts can sometimes cause problems.

Parts

• Managers

  • Your manager part helps you function on a daily basis in regards to making decisions, achieving goals, and organizing your life.

  • Pros: Your manager helps you get out of bed, brush you teeth, go to work, feed yourself, and pay the bills. Can help you become successful and productive.

  • Cons: Motivated through judgement, criticism, and demand. Exhausting and tiring. Avoids vulnerability and relies on self.

• Exiles

  • Parts of you learned to hide and go away because of past experiences of rejection, trauma, and hurt.

  • Your exile part would like to be seen and recognized, but your protectors are worried this will cause overwhelm and chaos for you.

  • Pros: Wants connection, trusting, vulnerable, tender, sweet, kind, loving, innocent.

  • Cons: Scared, fearful, hides, doesn’t take up space, afraid to speak up, terrified of rejection and being disapppointed.

• Firefighters

  • Firefighters are parts that go into action after the exiles have been activated in order to calm the exiles or distract the system from them (dissociation).

  • Reactive (does something and automatically responds to a crisis through numbing).

  • Pros: Helps you avoid pain. Great at fixing or solving problems. Quick thinker. Problem solver.

  • Cons: Exhausting and tiring. Always on edge and hypervigliance. Hard to relax and feel calm. Hard to sit in silence and still. Always thinking or working.

What is a Self-Like Part?

• A blended manager who is in charge of the client’s life (except when it isn’t)

How Do I Know What is a Self-Like Part?

• The part says all the right things, but therapy is stuck

• Therapy is stuck even though the client seems to have access to Self

• The part has an agenda

• The part wants to control other parts

• Other parts know the difference between a Self-like manager and the Self

Therapists can also have self-like parts which can then interfere with the process of IFS therapy